lens langoor is an initiative of two girls with varied interests in life. And mind you these girls perform better behind the lens than in front of it. Moreover,they do not just stop there, they make sure that you get to know what they were thinking while they were being all trigger-happy!

It’s new year’s eve today and while the whole world is planning their new year resolutions, lens langoor has decided upon a resolution for Indian lawmakers. We want them to say ,”In this year, we would not take any bizarre and vague decisions and would act at all times as mature individuals of a mature society“.. And since we talked about bizarre and vague , lets have a look on the 3 decisions amongst many which perfectly fit and sit in this category.

DEMONETISATION

A decision taken in good faith but everyone would have appreciated it a bit more (and we are not talking about the opposition here) if the government would have researched and done its home-work before implementing the move. Only if they would have thought about the recalibration and functionality of ATMs and micro ATMs,circulation of smaller denomination notes et al, mismanagement could have been averted, suffering could have been averted, deaths could have been averted.

NATIONAL ANTHEM ROW

courtesy- newsX

Till now did you have any idea that whether you love your country or not? whether you have a patriotic bone in your body or not? Dont worry even the answer is in negative because the acid test for patriotism is here. Now the cinema halls would act as the testing ground for your love for the nation.

It’s pretty ironical that when a minister disrupts the parliament and stalls the important work of running the nation, he does not get tagged as an anti-national. When an Om Puri insults a martyr and his contribution, no one dubs him as an anti-national. But if someone mistakenly commits the cardinal crime of not standing while national anthem being played in a theatre, you would surely be branded as an anti- national. Not just that, you could very well be thrashed and thrown out of the hall by the so called lovers of our nation. So mind you, resorting to violence is alright but not standing, citing the essence of Jana Gana Mana is not.

LGBT ROW

The fact that Kamasutra is a product of an Indian mind proves that 2000 years back from now we were living in a much more mature society that we are living in now. It’s funny that the land which boasts of the heritage of the temples of Konark and Khajuraho now fails to recognise sexuality and the play of hormones.

Not even a single voice is raised when a gangster gets elected to parliament but god forbid , if two adults belonging to same sex fall in love and get physical, the entire country goes crazy.

For India just like lungs cause breathing, being aware of one’s sexuality can lead to sodomy and sodomy is against our ‘traditions and values’.

We hope this new year India gives recognition to terms like sexuality, hormones and consent. We hope India revises its definition of natural.

P.S. : The langoors of lens langoor wish you all a very happy new year and a better year ahead. And to tell you about our new year resolution, we resolve that we continue to tell you stories, stories of people and places and life…

Once upon a time in a land called Agroha, there was a king, King Agrasen. He loved his subjects and his subjects loved him back. He did various good works for the welfare of the citizens of his capital. He constructed inns and wells for his subjects. So he constructed a step-well, a baoli. The baoli acted not just as a source of water, but its inner sanctum provided relief during the hot sunny days. So in turn it became a place where the members of the community could meet and involve in a tête-à-tête.

It was a time when gods and goddesses and other supernatural beings roamed around the far and stretches of the earth freely. In fact, it is believed that king Agrasen himself was a contemporary of lord Krishna. So these supernatural beings too used to visit the baoli constructed by Agrasen.

But time went by and slowly and steadily the waves of time corroded the kingdom of Agrasen. The baoli also became dilapidated. But it still remained the haunt of supernatural beings ,not the good ones though. As the good ones stopped appearing in their physical form with the conclusion of term of lord Krishna on earth. So the baoli became the haunt of evil spirits and the venom of their evil intentions turned the colour of the water of baoli into black.

Later in 14th century, someone tried to restore the previous magnificence of the baoli . He successfully restored the magnificence but could not restore its positive spirit. It is said that the black water of the baoli used to entice the visitors to sacrifice their lives. As the folklore goes, many have actually jumped into the water and to their death due to the hypnotising effects of water. As the death counts went up, the strength of the negative energy also escalated.

Now, Agrasen’s baoli is an ASI protected site. The infamous water of the baoli has dried up. And the last death that was reported here was back in 2007, but the building still has the eerie feel to it. It is also being said that whoever stays inside the baoli after sunset gets cursed by the evil spirits present there. Infact many archways of the baoli are permanently locked down as many supernatural sightings have happened in those areas.

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Agrasen’s baoli’s current location amidst many residential buildings is in contrast with it’s solitary appearance. While climbing down the stairs of this magnificent step-well you can feel a sense of fear rushing down the spine. But whether the sightings of ghosts and curse-story is true or not is dubious. May be you can someday just visit and witness it on your own, because nothing is better than a first hand experience.

Purana Qila or Old Fort- the remnant of history resting over the page of a greater history

The rampart which is a peep-hole to history,has been the provider of shelter since time immemorial and is still doing its job.

The first chapter of the chronicle takes us as back as 300 bc. The rampart which we see today is said to be founded on the bedrock of the city of Pandavas. The city, Indraprastha, which is a part of our popular history still lingers somewhere between the myth and the truth.

The second chapter unfolds the story of rulers and kings. The story of Mughal ruler, Humayun , who laid the cornerstone of the fort, as we see it today. And the story of Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri, who completed what was unfinished by Humayun.

In the third chapter the fort assumes the role of the guardian, provider , the shelter-giver. It takes us to the era of British India. It narrates that how the fort was a living part of the city of Delhi till a long time (1914). The Qila sheltered a village within it’s walls. But then our enslavers, the British thought the scene of poverty of the villages does not match the grandeur of the fort and thus cleared it.

But Purana Qila, still continued its job of providing shelter, though temporary in nature. The fort housed nearly 3000 Japanese civilians from across British- ruled Asia, during the second World War.

When you reach the Fourth chapter, an important event unfolds, thePartition ofIndia. The Qila then became refuge for thousands who were fleeing as well as those who had moved to Delhi from the newly formed Pakistan.

The fifth chapter tells the tale of the history we are still living. The solitary and dark alleys and corridors of the fort now provides shelter to the lovers seeking privacy.

The Qila also reminds us its metaphorical image of time. It was there when our existence was not even thought of ,and it will be there when we will cease to exist.

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